Traitor
by BeckyBelikova9
Summary: Tasha's execution.
1. Prologue

It's never easy losing someone you love. Some people say it's worse if it's sudden, if they die tragically in a car crash, or have a heart attack young, or something like that. Personally I think it makes no difference. You've still been torn apart from that loved one. You still find yourself full of regrets. You suddenly think of all the things that you could have said, of all the issues that you left unresolved, of everything that you wish you could have done differently. It makes no difference whether or not you saw it coming. There will always be those 'what if's.

'What if I did this, or said that, or maybe if I was just a little bit sooner'. My favourite is 'what if I noticed that something was wrong.' Which leads to 'maybe I could have helped them.' That one always hurts the most, always keeps people up at night. 'What if I was able to save them?'

Like I said before, it makes no difference. You've still lost someone that you love. You can drive yourself crazy with the 'what ifs, I should of done this, I should have done that'. But you can't bring them back.


	2. Chapter 1

"How's he doing?" I asked quietly, nodding towards the living room of mine and Dimitri's apartment, where Christian had commandeered the remote control. I was currently sitting at the kitchen table with Lissa and a cup of tea, Lissa drinking her coffee. Dimitri was in our bedroom changing into standard guardian attire, purposefully taking longer than usual. Today was the big day. The one all of us had been dreading.

"You know how he is," Lissa sighed. "Says he's keeping it together, that he doesn't blame me, but…" She shrugged, her expression troubled. "I just know everything will come to a head tonight."

I nodded, taking another sip of my tea. Even after two years of being a full-fledged guardian, including plenty of back to back shifts, I still refused to drink coffee. Not for lack of trying on Dimitri's part.

"I'm sure he knows you did everything you could," I told her reassuringly. "He knows you tried. There was nothing else you could do. Everybody wants her head on a plate, and they won't be satisfied until they have it. Hey," I forced her to look at me. She'd been staring into her coffee cup. "Without becoming a dictator, there was nothing you could have done. The Council made up their minds long before you even opened your mouth. The only way to change their decision was compulsion, and you know it. Stop beating yourself up about this."

Due to her involvement with Christian, Lissa had been forced to yield authority with regards to Tasha's trial, leaving the verdict and penalty up to the Council. It wasn't like she'd caved to outside pressures, although there were plenty of people accusing her of attempting to play favourites. There was apparently a law that said no one, not even the monarch, could preside over a trial they were so emotionally invested in. Of course that didn't stop her from appealing to the Council to let Tasha live. To give her life in prison, instead of executing her. They hadn't agreed with her.

"I guess you're right," Lissa replied after taking a sip of coffee. She wiped away a stray tear that had rolled down her cheek. "I just still can't believe that this is really happening."

I agreed with her. All of this was surreal to me too. Since the decision to go along with the execution had been made, I'd alternated between being convinced it wasn't really happening, crushing grief, and numbness. I didn't get the chance to say that however. I couldn't voice those feelings, because that was the point Christian walked in.

"It's nearly time to go," he said gruffly. He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes, which were also slightly bloodshot. According to Lissa, he also wasn't really eating that much. Despite this, he seemed to be holding himself together. He'd spent all last night with his aunt, but they wouldn't allow him to be with her this morning, saying she should spend time with the priest, asking for forgiveness.

I gave him a small, tense smile, which he just managed to return. I'd been worried that my role in Tasha's arrest might have destroyed our friendship, but he understood why I'd done it. Especially after she shot me. I still had two scars on my chest from the bullets, and subsequent surgery.

Dimitri came in then, ready to leave. He was the perfect picture of composure, his guardian mask firmly in place. We hadn't spoken much over the past couple of weeks. Despite me trying to convince him that what he was feeling was okay. That it was okay to mourn his friend. He didn't seem to believe me, to believe that not wanting his friend to die wouldn't upset me, her would-be victim.

I only got the chance to ask him if he was ready, because my cell rang just then.

"Is Her Majesty ready to leave?" a voice with a thick Russian accent asked when I answered. It was Iosif, captain of the royal guard. I told her she was, and the four of us left the apartment, joining four of my colleagues, Tommy, Danila, Bertie and Martin. They bowed respectfully to Lissa and Christian, Lissa managing a small smile, Christian only a terse nod. We headed downstairs, where most of the royal guard, as well as Hans, stood waiting with four Ozeras whom Christian had gotten close to, three men and one woman, and their guardians. They would be joining Lissa and Christian where they would be watching the execution. There were grim faces all around.

All of us left the building, the guardians falling into position around the moroi. Hans gave Dimitri and me a quick nod of acknowledgement before we left. I was on high alert, noticing everything around us. I knew there were quite a few guardians patrolling the general perimeter around us as well. Who knew what kind of wackjobs something like this would bring to Court.

There were a few people around, most looking excited, some a bit apprehensive. All them deep in conversation with their friends. I didn't get to hear what they were saying however, as they all cut off as soon as they noticed Lissa, bowing respectfully.

After a ten minute walk to one of the large green areas of Court, where the execution was to take place, the moroi took their seats, the crowd kneeling when Lissa was announced, resuming their seats when she took hers, is the centre, on the highest chair amongst the royal council, Christian seated beside her, Dimitri and I standing behind them.

A large arena had been constructed over the last few months, not massive, but enough to seat five hundred people. I tried really hard not to notice to platform constructed in the middle. Especially the hangman's noose. There were also large screens erected around the Court, so people who hadn't gotten seats were still able to see. Although why anybody would want to watch was beyond me.

All the seats were already full. From the sounds of things, you'd swear people were about to see football game or something. They all sounded excited, like they were about to see a show, some form of entertainment. It made me sick.

I'd been trying to get a handle on my feelings all day, trying to keep it together. I decided to scan the crowd, just making sure nobody looked threatening, but also trying to distract myself from the storm of emotion inside me.

I saw no crazy dissidents, but I did manage to spot my father. It was hard not to, given the bright yellow of his tie, and the glint of his gold jewelry. Beside him was Adrian, with Sydney beside him. I felt a pang in my chest as I looked at him.

I knew that Adrian was having very mixed feelings about all of this. On the one hand, he was about to witness the execution of his great-aunts murderer. But Tasha had been his friend. The rest of us were allowed to mourn her. Adrian felt like he was betraying his aunt by doing so.

Tasha was led in a few moments later, wearing a grey prison jumpsuit, her hands bound in front of her. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, highlighting the scars on her face. I'd used to think of them as a sign of her strength. Now I was them as a glaringly obvious sign that she'd been more messed up than any of us had realized.

As she took her place in front of the noose, her eyes came to rest on Christian, who was so tense it was a wonder he didn't snap, before looking at Dimitri. He looked straight at her, his face giving away nothing.

Lissa rose, and a hush fell over the crowd, which moments ago had been jeering and taunting Tasha. The sound of it was nearly more than I could take. I kept hoping, irrationally, crazily, that Lissa was going to give Tasha a reprieve, tell everyone "sorry, no execution today". But I knew that couldn't happen. I barely took in a word of what Lissa was saying, concentrating on Tasha. Like Dimitri, her face betrayed nothing. There was no emotion, no sorrow, no fear.

There was a ringing in my ears so loud that I didn't even hear her last words as the hangman put the noose around her neck. He tightened it. Stepped back. Pulled the lever.

It was done.


	3. Chapter 2

I couldn't believe what I just witnessed. I couldn't believe I'd just seen Tasha die. I was in a state of shock until I got home, just going through the motions, not really caring. I barely even noticed the cheer of the crowd when the doctor said she was dead.

Lissa said something else after Tasha was pronounced, but I didn't catch that either. There was still that ringing in my ears. The crowd rose as Lissa left, her entourage following.

Hans had had the foresight not to have myself or Dimitri on duty immediately after the execution. He'd only had us on duty up until that point because Dimitri had insisted. We met our replacements at the door, walking back to the palace with the group anyway, none of us speaking.

Dimitri had an iron grip on my hand the entire way back, so tight I wondered if would he break it, staring straight ahead the whole time, his breathing slightly laboured. He didn't even notice when I tried to pull away because of the pain in my hand. Bertie did however, and made some quip about me needing that hand for breaking noses. Dimitri replied that actually it was the other hand that did the most damage, but promptly let go anyway. He made no other acknowledgement of the fact that he'd hurt me. That to be honest scared me a little.

Christian was worse. Lissa had looped her arm thought his, holding his hand with the other, but like Dimitri I'm not even sure he noticed. Shock and grief were written all over his face. You could tell that there was going to be a breakdown as soon as he and Lissa were behind closed doors.

The four Ozeras left once we got to the palace door, the woman in tears. We went upstairs, going our separate ways when we got to our respective floors. The monarch's penthouse was located on the top floor, the royal guards' apartments on the floor below.

"Hey Belikov."

Dimitri and I stopped and looked around. We'd walked with Bertie towards our rooms, him leaving us as we reached his door, but he'd called back just before going in.

"I'm sorry about your friend." Some people had mocked Dimitri for his friendship with Tasha, but there was nothing like that in Bertie's expression. No incredulity at having such a friend, no mocking, no 'how did you not know?' There was only sympathy.

"Really, I am," he continued. "Nobody could have seen that coming."

"She wasn't my friend, I barely knew her," Dimitri replied, his voice flat, and devoid of emotion. He turned around, and continued walking down the hall.

My mouth had dropped open at what Dimitri had said, but I quickly closed it and followed Dimitri, shooting a grimace at Bertie over my shoulder. He nodded, and mouthed good luck, just before going inside.

I caught up with Dimitri as he opened the door. He didn't even look at me, just threw his jacket on the sofa, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt.

"What do you want for dinner?" he called out striding into the kitchen. "We have pizza in the freezer, or I could make something?"

"I'm not really that hungry," I called back, taking off my own jacket, and sinking down onto the sofa. There was no way my stomach could handle food after what I'd just witnessed.

"I suppose it is a little early for dinner," he said, coming back into the living room. He still wasn't looking at me, instead making a beeline for the TV, turning it on. Grabbing the remote, he came to sit beside me, putting more distance between us than usual.

"Shouldn't we," I began hesitantly. "Shouldn't we talk about earlier?"

Dimitri tensed. He still wouldn't look at me.

"All that happened earlier," he replied slowly, getting to his feet as he spoke. "Was that we witnessed the execution of a murderer and traitor." He tossed me the remote. "Here, you pick something. I feel like reading."

He walked over to the book shelf, picking up random books, not really noticing their titles, before putting them back down again. His movements were jerky, and fidgety, not really knowing what end of the book shelf to turn to, putting the books back far too quickly. Most of the books there were his, but a few were mine, books on animal psychology, and a few cookbooks from his mother. I'd attempted to use some of them, only to have all the recipes turn out disastrous.

Each time I nearly burned the palace down, but Dimitri only laughed and kissed me, telling me that cooking was not amongst my many talents. He'd then either make something himself, or hand me a takeout menu.

Dimitri abandoned his search for something to read, going over to the liquor cabinet.

"Drink?" he asked, pouring himself a shot of vodka and immediately throwing it back.

"I'm good," I said as he poured another, downing that as well. "Isn't it a little early for that?" It was barely three o'clock.

"Not in the human world," he replied, polishing off a third. I stood up and walked over to him slowly. He poured a fourth shot, but I put my hand over it before he could bring it to his lips.

"I think you've had enough," I told him, taking the shot glass out of his hand. He still wouldn't look at me. "Will you please just talk to me?"

"I told you, there's nothing to talk about," he replied tersely. "Like I said before. Now stop being stupid, and give me back my drink."

"She was your friend," I shot back, not appreciating the stupid comment. "You cared about her, you've known her for years, and it's okay to mourn her!" He didn't say anything. I threw up my hands in frustration, backing up a few paces.

"Will you just stop this? Stop pretending that she meant nothing to you, that you're not upset that she's gone, that you never cared about her." He ignored me, but I could see his shoulders start to shake slightly. "And for the love of God, will you please just talk to me? At least look at me?"

There was silence for a few moments before Dimitri said quietly "She wasn't my friend."

"Dimitri how can you say th-"

"Because clearly I didn't know her at all!" Dimitri whirled around, looking me in the face for the first time that day. He wore an agonized expression, mixed with guilt.

"If she was my friend then surely I would have noticed that that she was capable of murder, of trying to kill you!"

"Dimitri, none of us noticed –"

"I should have," he cut me off. "I should have seen it, I should have been able to stop her. If I had, then maybe I could have gotten her help. Maybe she'd still be alive." The grief on his face nearly killed me, and I desperately thought of something, anything to say to him. He continued without leaving me a chance however.

"And how can I justify missing her," he asked, "How can I say that I wish she was still here, knowing what she did to you?" Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose, and I think he was trying to hold back tears.

"How can I justify mourning someone who tried to kill the woman I love?" And that was it. What was really preventing him from admitting that he wanted his friend back.

"Because I am," I said quietly after a few moments. "I miss her," I told. "I feel sick after what I saw today, and yes Comrade, I wish she was still here. She was my friend too." I walked over to him, putting my hand on his arm, but he jerked away from me. He was still covering his face, but I think I saw a tear rolling past the corner of his mouth.

"You want to feel bad about this," he told, his back to me. "But Roza with what she did to you?" He turned back around. His eyes were a little too bright. "How can you forgive her? How can you forgive me for this? For grieving her loss?"

"I don't know," I said, shrugging helplessly. "I thought she was my friend. She was funny and smart, and I thought that she cared about me. _That's _who I'm grieving over. _That's _who I miss._ I'm_ mourning the woman who I thought was my friend." I furiously wiped my eyes, in case any stray tears had fallen down. "I wish she was still here, I wish she hadn't tried to hurt me, and I wish someone had realized how messed up Christian's parents had left her."

I chanced walking towards him again, putting my hands on his shoulders, and sliding them up to rest on either side of his neck. This time he didn't push me away. Instead he placed his hands on top of mine, making eye contact with me for the first time in days.

"I should have seen something," Dimitri whispered after a while. He was tearing up now.

"We all should have," I told him. "But that doesn't make it may of our faults. Like you said before: Tasha made her own choices. I don't think there was anything we could have done." I was rambling, saying anything at that point. Anything to try and alleviate the grief I knew he was feeling. Grabbing his hand I led him over to the sofa, and pulled him down beside me. He buried his head in his hands. After a moment his shoulders began to shake.

I put arm around him, and he moved so that his face was buried in my lap. I started stroking his hair.

"It's okay," I told him, tearing up myself, trying to shake the images of Tasha falling with the noose around her neck. I didn't think I ever would. I just kept murmuring words of comfort as all the emotion, all the grief, and pain, and guilt, and everything else Dimitri had been keeping bottled up came pouring out of him torrents.

"I miss her too."


	4. Chapter 3

She didn't know what to say. She could make a speech to a large crowd just after witnessing one of the most traumatic events of her life, yet she couldn't think of a single thing to say to her own boyfriend to try and comfort him. It's not that her mind was completely blank. It's just that nothing she thought of seemed good enough.

They weren't completely alone in the penthouse once they returned home. There were some guardians scattered throughout the floor, but they knew how to be discreet. Ninety per cent of the time Lissa and Christian didn't even know they were there.

Lissa slid herself out of her jacket, hanging it up in the closet, before moving back to Christian and helping him out of his. Lissa noticed that he was trembling slightly, staring at a spot on the floor. He didn't say a word, but his face spoke volumes. Shock was written all over it, and Lissa would have bet her inheritance that her boyfriend didn't even know where they were. Lissa looped her arm through Christian's, and led him into their bedroom, sitting him down on the bed. He was noticeably shaking now, his breathing coming in short bursts.

Lissa bent down, taking off his shoes, before sitting beside him and kicking off her own. He sounded as though he couldn't breathe properly, his shoulders really shaking now, tears beginning to spill out of his eyes. She scooted back, tugging on Christian's arm to get him to come closer. She lay down, Christian lying beside her with his face buried in her chest. Lissa just held him as all the pain he was feeling came gushing out of him.

As it turned out, she didn't even need to say a word. She just had to be there.

* * *

"You've barely touched your food."

Silence.

"Do you want something else?"

More silence. Lissa was nearly about to give up trying to make Christian talk to her. He hadn't said a word since they'd gotten home, and that had been over three hours ago. He'd just stared into space, or at the floor, not really seeing anything, just lost in his own miserable world. They'd sat down to dinner thirty minutes ago, and all Christian had really done was push his food around his plate. At most he'd taken two bites. Lissa was really starting to worry at this point.

"It's fine."

Lissa's head shot up. Christian was still staring at his plate. His voice was a little raspy, due to not saying anything all day, but Lissa was just relieved that he'd said something.

"Are… are you sure?" Lissa questioned. "I can make you something else. I think we have pizza in the kitchen? You want takeout?"

Christian looked up, and shook his head, a sad, half-smile crossed his face. His eyes were still red and puffy from earlier. "This is good. Thanks for asking though. And," he hesitated before continuing. "Thanks for earlier. For being there." He looked like he was about to tear up again. "I just," he took a deep shuddering breath. "I just miss her."

Lissa got up and hurried around the table to Christian's side. She climbed onto his lap, and his arms immediately went around her, burying his head in her shoulder.

"I get it," Lissa told him softly. "I miss her too."

"It wasn't your fault, you know that right?" Christian mumbled, pulling back slightly so he could look Lissa in the eye. "You couldn't have done more than you did."

Now it was Lissa's turn to choke up. She had been so afraid that he blamed her, that he wouldn't be able to forgive her. Lissa put her arms around him, drawing him close again. Now it was her turn to let it out. She clung to him, trying to get rid of the images of Tasha falling, of her twitching… and finally going still.

Dinner ended up going cold on the table. They just held each other for the longest time, only getting up when Christian said his legs had gone dead from Lissa sitting on them. They just went to bed then, being too exhausted to do anything else, watch TV, or talk.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, their limbs intertwined, needing the closeness of the other. They still slept fitfully though. Not even the comfort of each other was enough to chase away the nightmares.


	5. Chapter 4

This was awkward. Very awkward. It wasn't that they didn't want to talk to each other, that wasn't it at all. It was just the fact that Lissa had coerced Christian into doing it. And Dimitri knew it. Also, Rose had kind of made Dimitri agree. Which Christian was perfectly aware of. So, no it wasn't the fact that the two of them were there, sitting together at a table in their favourite bar. No, it was the fact that their girlfriends had forced them to go that was making it… well… awkward.

Okay. Maybe they didn't_ really_ want to talk to each other.

It had been two weeks since Tasha had been executed, and the two of them had barely spoken. Christian hadn't even left the house, Dimitri only doing so for work or training. Even then he was even more anti-social than usual, not training with anyone else but Rose, refusing to get some lunch with old friends, and really just barely acknowledging their existence so as not to seem rude. Neither of them were really in the mood for social interaction of any kind. Rose and Lissa however, had thought that they really should get out of the house. Rose saying that Dimitri really had to start living again, and not creep back into his shell like he had when Ivan died. Lissa had used good old fashioned guilt, saying she couldn't stand to see Christian so depressed, and would he please just go out, and have some fun for an hour? For her? So she wouldn't worry?

So there they were, beer in front of Christian, coke and vodka in front of Dimitri, both of them trying to think of anything to say that wasn't, well, Tasha related.

Dimitri decided to break the silence. "Did you see the Flyers game last night?"

"Yeah," Christian replied, taking a sip of his beer. "Yeah, it was, it was good." Silence again. Both guys sat there for a few more minutes, just drinking, not saying a word.

"I bought a ring."

Christian looked up sharply. "What kind of ring?" Christian asked slowly, knowing full well what kind of ring.

"An engagement ring," Dimitri replied, slightly nervously, drinking his vodka and coke. "Here, look." He reached into his pocket, taking out a small, dark red box. He handed it to Christian, who took it and opened it. Inside was a small diamond ring, with two aquamarine stones on either side of the princess cut diamond. Granted, it was a small diamond, but Rose wouldn't care.

"Do you think she'll like it?" Dimitri asked hesitantly, worried that Christian would think asking Rose was a bad idea.

"It's a very nice ring," Christian said, handing it back. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. "But don't you think it's too soon? I mean, she's only twenty." And there it was.

Dimitri shrugged. "I know she is, but I think she's ready. I think she'd say yes. And if she wants a long engagement, that's fine with me. But you know in Russia, most people only wait about a month to get married. Three at most."

**(AN: My apologies to any Russians who disagree with this, the internet lying to me is a very strong possibility.)**

"Well, good luck to you man," Christian told him, handing the box back. Dimitri put it back in his pocket. "Really you guys are meant for each other." He sounded sincere, which made Dimitri feel much better about having told him.

"I actually I bought it three months ago," Dimitri said, taking another drink. "I just haven't found the right time to ask her. You know with all the appeals, and, well. Everything that's happened." It _had_ been a hectic few months. Tasha's lawyer had launched appeal after appeal, to try and get her sentence overturned. Obviously, none had worked.

Christian grimaced, drinking more of his beer. "Yeah, I guess," he finally responded. "But can we please not talk about that?" His words, though benign enough in themselves, had been spoken harsher than Christian had intended.

"Alright," Dimitri said after a minute, a little startled by Christian's tone. "I'm just not really sure when will be the right time," he continued after a minute. "Definitely not now."

Christian sighed. He couldn't just dismiss the subject of Dimitri wanting to ask Rose to marry him, but they couldn't talk about that, without talking about why he was waiting to ask her, and they couldn't talk about_ that_ without talking about Tasha.

**"**Maybe we need something good to happen right now," Christian said slowly. "After everything, maybe we need something to celebrate. You know… all this… it hasn't changed the way she feels. I say go for it. Asking Abe's permission first of course," he added after a minute. "You ask his daughter to marry you without asking him beforehand, well, I think we all know how that'll go down."

"On the other hand," Dimitri pointed out, "If Rose finds out that I asked her father for permission, that won't end well either."

"Yeah, but appeasing her father is the lesser of two evils."

Dimitri chuckled, as he drank more vodka and coke. The evening got much better after they actually started talking. Dimitri started teasing Christian about when he's make an honest woman out of Lissa. Christian asked Dimitri was getting punched in the face Rose's idea of foreplay. The two had grown close over the last two years, and had needed the distraction the other provided that night. They passed the time comfortably, chatting in the easy way they'd grown accustomed to. Tasha wasn't even mentioned for the rest of the night.

But that doesn't mean they weren't thinking about her


	6. Chapter 5

Everyone knows that I am not a morning person. You call my cell before eight o'clock in the morning (my personal cell, not my work cell), and all you can expect is one word answers, and grunting. This is not a secret. This is, in fact, expected. So why in God's name is this person disrupting my sleep on the first day off I've had in two weeks?

I groggily sit up, and reach for the dark blue Nokia on my bedside table, flopping back down onto the pillows before answering. I didn't even bother checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I mumble, not really awake yet.

"Hey Rose, it's Viorel."

"Hey V," I replied, trying to wake myself up a bit more. Despite the Romanian name, he had the thickest Brooklyn accent I'd ever heard. I needed to concentrate here. "What's up?"

"Sorry, I know it's your day off, and it's early, but I've got a slight problem down here. I'm working the doors at the moment, and was wondering if you were expecting any visitors?"

I sat up slowly, racking my brain. Had I invited anyone over for breakfast today, and forgotten to notify security? There were certain people, Mia and my parents for example, who were well known by the palace guards, and were allowed to just sign the book and stroll on in. Everyone else had to check in in advance.

"No," I told him, after racking my brain. Nope, I wasn't expecting anyone. "Who is it?"

I heard Viorel sigh in exasperation. "They say it's a surprise. You're going to have to come down here."

"They? How many are we talking about here?"

"A middle aged woman, two women in their mid to late twenties, a twelve, or thirteen year old boy, two babies, a newborn, a teenaged girl, and a woman who looks so old, she probably had a front row seat for the big bang," he listed off, sounding slightly irritated. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I have a feeling I know exactly who they are. I'll be down in ten."

We hung up, and I dressed quickly. Dimitri was already gone, having agreed to meet with a few old friends visiting Court with their charges for breakfast before his shift.

I was pretty sure who my mystery guests were, and couldn't believe that they would just show up unannounced like this. Sure, Dimitri and I had done it at Easter, but the only security we had to go through was at the airport. Also, there was only two of us. I was feeling surer and surer of their identities as I got closer to the foyer, and sure enough –

"Rose!"

There they were. It was Viktoria who'd called out, running over to give me a hug. Which was strange, considering the last phone call we'd had. Behind her I could see her sisters, mother and grandmother. Paul was standing next to a stroller that contained a babbling Zoya. In front of Sonya was another stroller, that was empty seeing as her two year old, Katya, was in her arms. Olena was holding Viktoria's three week old son Yulian. I forced a smile onto my face, hoping it matched theirs. What were they doing here?

Once we greeted each other properly, explained the situation to Viorel, checked everyone in – which took a while, seeing as I'd had no warning - and I had had the chance to coo over Yulian, we all headed upstairs to mine and Dimitri's apartment. We'd both had our own rooms two years ago, mine here, Dimitri's in the guardian's dorms, but we'd officially moved in together just over a year ago.

"Oh, this is amazing!" Olena exclaimed as soon as I opened the door. I then had to go through about ten minutes of them all examining every inch of the apartment. It was a good sized apartment, with nice big sofas in the sitting room complete with plasma TV, a modern spacious kitchen, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The windows in all the rooms were massive, the better to let in the light.

This wasn't originally a one person, or even a two person suite. Back when guardian numbers were much larger, as little as forty years ago, and the monarch would have had a much larger guard, all the rooms would have been full. Bad news for the moroi and dhampirs, good news for my sort-of in laws as it meant that they could stay here. Of course, _that_ was bad news for _me_.

Why now? I mean really, why did they have to pick now? Okay, fine I guess it was Dimitri's twenty-seventh birthday in two days, but why did they choose this year to visit? Granted, we've been asking them to come to the US for the last two years, but really? They choose now? And did it have to be a surprise? It wasn't that I didn't want to see them, it was just that, well… I knew their opinions on recent events, and I also knew that those opinions were not going to be very welcome. Particularly Viktoria's.

"You look great," I told Viktoria, smiling, once everyone had settled down on the sofa and armchairs. "How are you feeling?"

It had been a bit of a shock to find out that she was pregnant at eighteen. Dimitri had been particularly upset to find out that his baby sister was going to have a baby of her own. None of us had any idea who the father was, but we were trying to be supportive.

"I feel fantastic," she replied, rocking the baby, who was fussing slightly. "A little tired though, but that's expected."

"I suppose we _weren't_ expected?" Karolina asked, a wry smile on her face.

"I do kind of wish you'd given us warning," I admitted. I could have cleaned the apartment, made the beds in the spare rooms, booked time off, learned how to cook something, notified the palace guards, who were surely going to be breathing down my neck later…

"Dimitri won't be home until lunch time," I informed them. "He's out with friends at the moment, and then he'll be starting his shift with Christian. They have meetings all morning."

"Well, until then perhaps you can give us a tour around Court?" Sonya suggested smiling. "None of us have been to the US before, let alone here."

"Sure," I began, but didn't really get the chance to say anything else, as the door opened just then.

"Rose, you better be up," Lissa called out as she walked in. "Because I booked us full body massages, and a mani-pedi in an hour." She stopped short when she saw I had guests. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company."

At the sight of Lissa, everyone immediately sprang to their feet, bowing respectfully. They looked startled at the unexpected entrance of the moroi queen.

"Sit down, please," Lissa said, striding over, and holding out her hand. She took Olena's, who seemed a little star truck.

"Lissa, this is Olena, Dimitri's mother," I told her. She also shook everyone else's hand as I pointed them out. It was very mean, but I found their reactions pretty funny and was trying not to laugh. Even Yeva hadn't expected to randomly meet the ruler of all the moroi.

Nobody said a word for a few minutes. Lissa broke the silence. I was too busy trying not to burst out laughing.

"So how long are you staying in the US?" she asked politely, shooting me a look that said 'behave'.

"Uh, only a week, Your Majesty," Karolina responded. The 'Your Majesty' brought a small smile to Lissa's face.

"Call me Lissa, please," she said. "And there's no need to stand so much on ceremony either," she added. "Rose and Dimitri talk about you so much, I feel like I know you already."

"Okay," Viktoria said, sounding surprised, yet thrilled to immediately be put on such familiar terms with the queen.

"Is that Yulian?" Lissa asked, pointing to the bundle in Viktoria's arms. "Dimitri showed me all the pictures you sent him. Congratulations, he's adorable."

"Th-thank you," Viktoria replied, but didn't say anything else.

"Anybody want tea or coffee?" I asked standing up. Everyone said coffee, and Lissa stood as well, saying she'd help me.

"I take it this means you can't make it to the spa?" Lissa questioned, once we were in the kitchen.

"Yeah," I said slightly sadly, reaching for the cups, while Lissa turned on the coffee maker. "It was a good surprise though. Maybe on my next day off."

"Which is when?" Lissa asked shrewdly, placing a tea bag in the teapot. I filled the kettle, and turned it on.

"Soon," I said evasively, leaning against the counter as the kettle boiled. Lissa got down a tray and milk jug from the cupboard.

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning in about three weeks," I replied sheepishly. Lissa sighed, but didn't say anything else about the spa, or my work schedule. This time.

"But, Rose," Lissa began as she put the full coffee jug on the tray. She dropped her voice. "What are they doing here?" Lissa wasn't being rude. It was just that I'd told her about the conversation I'd had with Viktoria a week before the execution. After about five minutes, the two of us were screaming down the phone at each other, me only stopping when I heard Dimitri come home. I hadn't spoken to her since.

I shrugged. "They didn't tell us they were coming, I just got called down to the front desk about an hour ago. I guess they wanted to surprise Dimitri for his birthday." I shook my head. "Just as long as they don't say anything about Tasha in front of Christian or Dimitri."

Lissa looked concerned. "Do you think they will?"

I shrugged again. "I don't think so, but we can't rule it out. Especially Viktoria. Oh God, Christian's going to set someone on fire, isn't he?"

"I'm sure he won't," Lissa said, exasperated, pouring the boiled water into the teapot, and placing it on the tray.

I picked up the fully laden tray. Lissa grabbed a large plate of cookies, and followed me back into the sitting room. It took a while for everyone to relax around Lissa, but her kind, warm nature started to win them over eventually. Unfortunately, just as they were starting to warm up to her, when she had to go to her spa appointment. I told her to just take Mia with her instead.

I was left alone with the Belikovs after that, until Dimitri came home, three hours later. The time passed comfortably, without one mention of Tasha, for which I was thankful.

I just hoped it stayed that way.


	7. Chapter 6

**This is just a quick thank you to Roza-Dimka-Reader for looking over this chapter, and for giving me a great idea for the next one :).**

**Oh, yeah, there was something else I was meant to do… oh yeah. *Clears throat* Any recognized characters are not mine, and belong to Richelle Mead. Not me. That is all.**

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Normally, I love spending time with Dimitri's family. Really, I do. They're sweet, they're funny, they actually accept me as I am, which believe me is pretty rare. But today… well I spent most of today on tenterhooks, waiting for someone bring up Tasha. Thankfully, no one did. I really thought we could get through this visit without her coming up. I really, really did. I was wrong.

I heard the front door open and close, and heard Dimitri and Christian chatting as they came in. I hopped up from my seat, signaling to the others to be quiet as I went to meet them at the door.

"Why hello there," I said grinning as I nearly crashed into Dimitri at the door to the sitting room, pushing him back into the hall pulling the door shut behind me. Behind him I could see Christian, who in turn had nearly crashed into Dimitri.

"Had a good day?" I asked, giving Dimitri a quick kiss.

"It was okay," Dimitri said, scrutinizing me carefully. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I told him, though the smile on my face was slightly forced. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

"Because you're smiling like a maniac," Christian bluntly informed me.

Okay, maybe that was true, but I was pretty stressed, having been worried about Tasha coming up all day. Not to mention wondering how I was going to handle it if she did come up.

"Well, guess who decided to show up for a surprise visit today? Giving me absolutely no warning what-so-ever? You know what," I continued, not giving him a chance to say anything. "Close your eyes, and go on in."

After a little cajoling from me and Christian, Dimitri did so and entered the living room, with me holding his arm. Christian followed us, giving the Belikovs a little, confused wave. Paul enthusiastically waved back, making Christian grin.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Dimitri asked, a little exasperated. Karolina put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Olena stood up in front of him.

"You have three guesses Dimka," she said smiling.

Dimitri's eyes snapped open. "Mama!" he exclaimed, stepping forward to hug her. His sisters and grandmother stood up, and greeted each other in a flurry of Russian. I'd been learning it for the last two years, and thanks to the daily practice with Dimitri, I was pretty good at this point. But the Russian was flowing far too fast for me to keep up. They were all pretty happy to see each other, despite us visiting Baia only five months ago. To be honest, I think they all saw Dimitri more in the last two years, than they had done in the previous six.

I'll admit, I used to have remind Dimitri to call his mother. Not because he didn't want to speak to his family, but it seemed to be a bit more painful to keep saying goodbye so often, which was the main reason for his silence over the years. It was an opinion shared by my mother, I'd recently learned. I was the one who normally called her.

"I'm guessing the in-laws," Christian murmured. The two of us were left to the side as the family greeted each other.

"Yup," I murmured back. "They just showed up this morning. I got a phone call just before eight o'clock and there they were in the foyer."

We kept our voices low, but there was really no need. Dimitri was being introduced to his newest nephew, and was enthusiastically telling Viktoria how beautiful he was. They were talking slow enough for me to understand them now. Sort of.

"Guys at the door must have been just_ thrilled_ with the surprise."

I just gave him a 'what do you think?' look, because that was the point that Dimitri remembered that he hadn't introduced Christian yet. We stopped our whispered conversation as Dimitri ushered him forward, holding Yulian in his arms.

"It nice to finally meet you," Christian said, shaking everyone's hands. "But I should probably go." To Dimitri he added, "I need to tell Lissa about Drozdov." He shook his head. "She is unbelievable. See you all at dinner."

"We're having dinner with the queen?" Sonya questioned, once the door closed behind him.

"Don't worry," Dimitri said reassuringly, rocking Yulian back and forth. "Lissa's lovely. You'll like her."

"We already met her," Paul piped up.

"Yeah, she came by earlier," I told Dimitri. Everyone then proceeded to tell Dimitri about Lissa stopping by, and about the tour I'd given them around the Court.

"I didn't get to take everyone to Geoff's though," I said, balancing Yulian on my shoulder – I'd taken him from Dimitri. "We should definitely go there for lunch tomorrow." Geoff's was a café in the centre of Court, that Dimitri and I loved.

Dimitri thought that was a great idea, and we were just fixing on a time to meet, since Dimitri and I had work tomorrow, when the front door opened, and a second later Lissa and Christian came in. I hadn't even realized how long we'd all been talking. The time had passed quickly and though I'd enjoyed the conversation, and was relieved that Tasha hadn't come up, I was still a little put out that no one had asked Dimitri how he was doing. He was still feeling her loss, no question, but seemed to be doing better since he'd had drinks with Christian. Honestly, the two of them were.

Like before, the Belikovs sprang to their feet. Well, most of them. Yeva slowly rose, taking much longer than I knew her to be capable of. That to be honest bugged me a little. She seemed like she was being forced to her feet. I was also pretty sure she'd once referred to Lissa as 'that silly little girl' in front of me, back before we'd told her I was learning Russian. Dimitri of course denied that she'd said any such thing.

"Please, you don't have to do that," Lissa told them again, waving them down. "Really, I mean that." She was smiling, her long, platinum hair brushed to one side. She was dressed casually in dark jeans and a cream coloured top. Christian as usual was her polar opposite, dressed in a dark button down shirt, and black jeans.

"Really, you don't," Dimitri said softly. We'd both stayed seated, and his family slowly resumed theirs. Lissa came around and sat on the arm of my chair. I pulled her down so we were both squashed on the seat.

"Rose!" she giggled.

Christian rolled his eyes, and sat down next to Viktoria. "Children. So what's for dinner?"

"We have macaroni and cheese, steak and french fries, frozen pizza, and take out menus," Dimitri listed off. "What does everyone feel like?"

After a few minutes of arguing we eventually decided on the pizza. Lissa and I stayed squashed in our armchair for the whole evening, having to stretch around each other to reach the food, giggling while we did.

I'll be honest, I really thought that everything was going to be okay. Everyone was getting along really well, the conversation flowing smoothly. By the time we'd nearly finished dinner, I was truly relaxed for the first time that day. It didn't last.

"I suppose Your – Lissa," Viktoria corrected herself. Lissa had repeatedly said to call her Lissa. She'd joked that she'd even prefer 'Vasilisa' over 'Your Majesty'. "I suppose you're probably happy that justice has finally been served?"

Lissa, who'd been reaching forward for another slice, froze. She slowly sat upright, wiping her hands on her napkin.

"What exactly do you mean?" Lissa asked politely. Next to Viktoria, Christian froze. Dimitri was acting as though he had no idea what his sister was talking about, but I could have sworn I saw his shoulders tense, ever so slightly.

Not seeming to notice the reaction she'd just caused, Viktoria continued "Natasha Ozera's execution. I thought you'd be pleased her sentence was carried out. Two years is a long time to wait."

Lissa was shocked, but managed to retain her composure. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to come up with a response.

"Oh, yeah," Christian burst out furiously. "Yeah, we're thrilled. Over the fucking moon. Couldn't be fucking happier."

I could that Olena was shocked at his language, Karolina likewise. Yeva looked bored.

"Christian," Lissa tried to calm him down, but it was a lost cause. Christian had shot straight past 'mad' arriving at 'livid'. "No, we're not," Lissa told Viktoria coolly. Her demeanor had suddenly turned very frosty. Viktoria actually recoiled a little, realizing just how much she's pissed Lissa and Christian off.

"No, we're not _pleased _that my aunt is dead!" Christian leapt to his feet.

"Okay, Christian look," Dimitri started, "I'm sure Viktoria didn't really mean that – "

"Don't tell me what I do and don't mean," Viktoria furiously told her brother. "I mean that I'm actually happy the woman who shot Rose in the chest is dead!"

"That woman was my aunt!" Christian roared. "Don't you dare talk about her! Don't you say another word!"

"And you don't scream at my daughter," Olena said firmly to him. "And Viktoria, stop being so insensitive. Natasha was Christian's aunt, and Dimka's friend." Olena acknowledging that actually seemed to calm Christian down slightly. Viktoria's next words however just angered him again.

"What a great friend, considering she shot Rose, and murdered Tatiana!"

"I thought I told you to shut the fuck up?"

"Christian, calm down," Dimitri tried to intervene. He found Viktoria's words upsetting as well, but did not appreciate Christian talking to his sister like that. Christian turned on him.

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

"That horrible woman tried to kill Rose," Sonya burst out suddenly. She looked as angry as Viktoria. "And don't talk to my brother like that. Just because he's your guardian doesn't mean you get to order him around like that!"

I thought that was an absolutely ridiculous remark, seeing as I'd never heard Christian order Dimitri around once in the two years he'd been his guardian.

"Okay, this is getting _way_ out of hand." I tried to get to my feet, which was difficult seeing as Lissa and I were wedged pretty tightly into the armchair. "Why don't we all just take a deep breath, and – "

"I am not putting up with this bitch," Christian snapped, waving a hand in Viktoria's direction. Dimitri'd had enough. He got to his feet, and advanced a couple of paces towards Christian.

"Do _not_ speak to my sister like that," Dimitri kept his voice low, and Christian's anger was checked for a moment. Dimitri was scary when angry, and not even Christian was immune to it. Hell, I wasn't.

"Screw this, I'm out of here." Christian stormed out of the room, Lissa hurrying after him. Before she left the room however, she turned back.

"In the future," she began, all warmth and familiarity completely evaporated. "If you could not speak of Tasha in that manner, I would greatly appreciate it." She quickly left the room, leaving the rest of us alone.

I turned to look at Viktoria. "Really?" I asked her furiously. "What were you thinking, saying all that crap? She was Christian's aunt, for God's sake. You're lucky he didn't incinerate you!"

Viktoria was surprised at that. "After what she did to you?" she asked incredulously. "How are you even still friends with him?"

"Because it was Tasha who did all that. Tasha not Christian," Dimitri pointed out. He was just as annoyed as I was. Maybe even more so, seeing how long he'd known Tasha. "Don't get them confused. And please, if you have an opinion about Tasha, keep it to yourself."

"She tried to murder your girlfriend," Sonya said furiously. "Surely you hate her more than the rest of us."

"No, I don't!" Dimitri was growing more upset.

"And neither do I," told her. "So just do us all a favour, and keep your opinion on Tasha to yourselves."

Sonya opened her mouth to say something else, but Olena cut her off. "You heard your brother and Rose. That topic will not be mentioned again."

"After everything she did – "

"Sonya, just stop," Karolina joined in now. Karolina ganging up with her mother seemed to stop the conversation. There were a few minutes of awkward silence, before Dimitri announced that he was going for a walk. It was what he did when he was upset. Either force an awkward conversation, or go for a walk.

The rest of started to clean up, not talking to each other. After that, everyone went into their rooms to unpack, leaving me sitting on my own in the kitchen with a cup of tea. I wanted to go check on Christian and Lissa, but had a feeling that they just needed some time alone. I also wanted to see if Dimitri was okay, but knew he needed time as well. That had to be the worst dinner ever.


	8. Chapter 7

Sleep did not come easily that night, seeing as today had not gone at all as she'd hoped. All she'd wanted to do was visit her son and daughter-in-law (she still called Rose this despite her insistence that her and Dimitri weren't getting married anytime soon), and maybe meet Rose's mother, if the elusive Janine Hathaway was around. That was it, just see how they were doing, finally see where they lived, and maybe see the moroi Royal Court. She'd wanted to get away with her family, to just have a nice vacation with all of them.

Instead two of her daughters had managed to not only upset their brother, but the queen of the moroi and her boyfriend, and she was also sure that Rose was wishing they had never come at all. Honestly, she herself was beginning to wish they hadn't come either.

Giving up on sleep any time soon, she slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake her mother, who was fast asleep next to her. She wrapped her nightgown around herself, before quietly leaving the bedroom they were sharing.

The blackout curtains and thick heavy drapes in the sitting room blocked out all daylight, but she could still see Paul's outline on the sofa, as well as the travel cot they'd set up for Zoya and Katya. The toddlers had had great fun before going to sleep, having a nice conversation about they only knew what. Karolina and Sonya were sharing another room, and Viktoria and Yulian had gotten the smallest.

After checking on the children, she strode silently into the kitchen, deciding that tea was in order.

"Dimka?"

Dimitri, who'd been sitting at the kitchen table with his head on his arms, and what looked like a picture in his hand, looked up as his mother came in, hiding the picture in his lap. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Dimitri replied as Olena sat down opposite him. "I take it you couldn't sleep either?"

"Not after today," Olena sighed. "I can't believe your sisters said those things in front of the queen and Christian, they knew they were related."

"Lissa," Dimitri corrected. "And you really shouldn't worry about them, they'll calm down. Viktoria and Sonya didn't mean any harm. And at least this proves they really care about Rose." Dimitri, hating to see his mother upset, tried to console her. "They were pretty mad at me when I came home. Said I was betraying her."

Olena sighed again, and shook her head. She was going to have a little talk with her daughters tomorrow.

"There is that," she agreed. "But wanting to protect Rose's feelings is not an excuse." Dimitri just shrugged, not really looking at her. Olena scrutinized him. He looked exhausted, not just because it was the middle of the night, but mentally and emotionally as well. And from the redness around his eyes, Olena was sure that he'd been crying at some point tonight.

"So how are you doing with all of this?" she asked eventually. "I know how long you and Tasha were friends."

"I'm," Dimitri faltered, ever so slightly. "I'm fine." Glancing up, and seeing that his mother clearly didn't believe him, Dimitri tried again.

"I'm okay, really," he insisted. "I've moved on, I'm doing just fine. I," Dimitri faltered again. Somehow on the way to his mouth, thanks to Olena's understanding expression, the sentence 'I'm getting over what happened' became –

"I miss her," he said quietly. He rubbed the back of his neck, placing the picture he'd been looking at in front of Olena. "St. Vladimir's finally found the last of my things a few weeks ago. I found this when I was unpacking the box."

It was a picture of Dimitri and Tasha, taken during Tasha's visit to the school to see Christian nearly two years ago. Thomas – a guardian at the school who used to spoil Rose - had just bought her a new camera, and she'd been a little shutter crazy that Christmas. It was a close up of the two of them, just their upper bodies, with a little bit of green scenery visible in the background. Neither of them were looking at the camera. They were looking at each other, Dimitri's expression relaxed for a change. Tasha was laughing at something he'd just told her. There was nothing romantic about how Dimitri regarded her, but it was clear they were close. Dimitri hadn't even know that Rose had taken the picture until she'd given it to him.

"Are they right?" Dimitri asked suddenly. "Sonya and Viktoria? Everyone else, Rose, Lissa, Christian, they all seem to think it's okay for me to miss her. And part of me, _most_ of me, agrees with them, but," he looked at his mother desperately. His eyes were a little too bright. "But after what they said? I'm starting to doubt again."

"Dimka, of course it's okay," Olena told him gently. He just stared at the picture when she handed it back to him. "Don't listen to two of them. I understand they're upset over what happened to Rose, but I've spoken to her, she misses Tasha as well. You just remember all the good times. That picture helps, I'm sure."

Dimitri smiled slightly. "Rose took it," he informed his mother. "Said she loved it because she finally had proof I can actually smile." Dimitri was actively trying not to cry at this point.

"Dimka, did you come in here at this hour because you didn't want Rose to know you were this upset?" Olena asked knowledgably.

"Well, she saw me cry after the execution, and bawl after I was, well, restored, I think twice is enough." Dimitri hurriedly wiped a stray tear from his cheek. Olena got up, and walked around the table, wrapping her arms around him. Dimitri turned and buried his face in her stomach, his shoulders starting to shake.

"It's not a crime to mourn the people you cared about, no matter what they did in life," she told him. "Rose knows this, and you should too. It's okay to miss her. And Dimka," Olena added after a minute. "It's also okay to let you girlfriend see you upset. You need to let her in."

"I know that," Dimitri said, pulling back. "It's just – "

"You inherited your grandmother's pride?"

"Not exactly. But yes." He got to his feet wiping his eyes, stashing the picture in the pocket of his pajama pants. "I think I'll be going to bed now. Thanks for talking mom." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Dimka."


	9. Chapter 8

**I apologise for the long abscence, but in my defense I had a really bad first year of college :(. On the plus side, I now have more free time as it's summer :). So here's chapter 8**

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Despite being jet-lagged the next morning, Olena was still awake before us, _and_ she had blini already on the table by the time we got into the kitchen. I swear, she just couldn't stand the thought of anyone going even remotely hungry while she had access to a kitchen. Best mother-in-law ever.

"You didn't have to make us breakfast," Dimitri chided, still sounding appreciative, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "You must be exhausted." He could tell her to relax, and put her feet up all he wanted, but he was a mama's boy at heart (no matter how much he denied it), and was secretly thrilled his mom had made him breakfast.

"True, but no point letting all this go to waste," I said cheerfully, helping myself to some blini, and smothering them with jam. Dimitri followed suit, rolling his eyes as he sat down. "These look great Olena, thank you," I added seriously, before tucking in. They tasted great as well. Thanks to yesterday's argument I had not gone to sleep happy last night, and had woken in the exact same state of mind. Granted, the early start didn't help. The prospect of blini and tea was doing wonders for my mood.

We chatted while we ate, Olena asking us what our plans were for the day, confirming what time we were meeting for lunch, and hesitantly asking whether or not Lissa and Christian would be joining us. Dimitri and I told her that that might not be a good idea, with me pointing out that Christian might set someone on fire if provoked. Olena didn't seem to realise I wasn't kidding.

We left just as Zoya and Katya started stirring, Paul still unconscious on the sofa. We'd told Olena to just leave the dishes in the dishwasher, that we'd get to them when we got home, but I was positive that she'd put them away anyway, as soon as we were out of the apartment. And that she'd have dinner ready when we got home. I really wished I'd gone to the supermarket yesterday, but tomorrow was pay-day, therefore also grocery day.

I was glad neither Viktoria nor Sonya were awake when we left. I wasn't sure I could handle another argument. The fact that they'd said all that crap last night was unbelievable. Surely Dimitri told them about Tasha's relationship with Christian, and I'd _definitely_ mentioned it. _I_ wouldn't have said that shit while drunk.

As we made our way to our posts, Dimitri told me about the talk he'd had with his mother last night.

"See," I said, lightly poking him on the arm. "Mom says so. Absolute authority. Just don't tell my mother I said that."

We were standing at the staircase - me a few steps up to look Dimitri in the eye - that would take me up to Lissa and Christian's apartments, and Dimitri down to his early morning training session. A few of my colleagues on the guard were still a bit miffed about the whole 'knocking most of them unconscious' thing, and invited him to spar with them frequently to try and get some of their pride back. Hadn't happened yet. After that, he was escorting Christian to a meeting with some of, and I quote, "Aunt Tasha's whacktivist friends".

Dimitri smiled that half smile of his and said "I suppose. It's still a little difficult for me to get my head around, that you're really okay with it, with what she did to you. Never mind what she did to Tatiana." He sighed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. I reached forward to brush it back again when it appeared it didn't want to stay there.

"Well it is," I told him. "And we can all bleat about how it's okay, but you're going to have to convince yourself there, Comrade. Only so many times I – _we_ – can tell you that."

We said our goodbyes then, Dimitri reminding me to come straight to the café for lunch, and let him show his family the way there. I trudged upstairs, returning greetings from some of my colleagues who were stationed along the hallway leading to the penthouse, also getting a status report from some of them. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular, sleepy Thursday morning.

There were two routes into the penthouse. The elevator, which opened directly into the centre of the suite, and could only be accessed using a keycard, and numeric password, and the side stairs, which wound its way to the very edge of the suite and led to the front door, which also used a keycard and password combo.

Bertie and Gregor were stationed outside the door when I arrived. They relaxed ever-so-slightly when I turned the corner, and they saw it was me. The two of them were about the same age, mid-thirties, with Bertie being the darker of the two, with brown hair and skin that was nearly as tanned as mine. Gregor on the other hand was the opposite, with blonde hair and fair skin.

"Hey guys, how are things?" I stopped when I reached them, crossing my arms and leaning casually against the wall. I liked Bertie and Gregor. They were always friendly to me, even back when I'd first joined the guard and most of them thought I was just the Queen's loudmouth friend. Naturally, I soon proved them wrong.

"Morning Rose," Bertie smiled as I approached, Gregor just nodding.

"We thought you'd forgotten to get out of bed," Gregor quipped, just barely smiling. He spoke with a Russian accent. "Wouldn't be the first time."

I just stuck my tongue out at him and said to Bertie "How come you aren't downstairs torturing Dimitri? I thought Lucas and this thing were on door-duty today? Not that I'm not happy to see of course," I added primly. "But still? What gives?"

"Lucas was called home last night," Bertie paused before continuing. "His mother took a turn for the worst."

"They weren't even sure he'd make it back in time," Gregor added grimly.

"Oh shit." Lucas' mother had fallen ill about a month ago, needing surgery on her abdomen to repair a tear in her intestine. Lucas was glued to his phone most nights, getting updates from his sister. I really felt for the guy. He was in his early thirties, so his mother couldn't be very elderly. He was very composed while on duty, but off duty, he was a wreck.

"I'll call him around lunch time," I sighed. "Poor guy." It had been a real shock to him to learn that his mother needed emergency surgery.

I went inside after a few more exchanges, pushing the thought of Lucas and his family to the back of my mind. As bad as I felt for him, I couldn't dwell on it while on duty. I especially couldn't dwell on anymore death.

I stopped outside Lissa and Christian's bedroom door, looking at my watch. Seven fifteen exactly. Lissa told me to get her up if she wasn't already when I arrived. I listened at the door and heard nothing. An evil grin slowly made its way onto my face as I clasped the door knob. I really felt like unleashing my inner child this morning. Well, I needed something to cheer me up, didn't I?


End file.
